Non-Nutritive Sweeteners: Too Sweet to be True?

Abstract

The menace of obesity, diabetes and their related complications has engulfed the world. Although their treatment is centred around targeted therapeutic modalities, dietary regimens and regular exercise, however, due to the increasing concerns about the consumption of food high in sucrose, food products containing non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS) have gained tremendous popularity among obese and diabetic individuals. These are the modern age synthetic dietary ingredients employed for imparting sweetness to foods, beverages and nutritional supplements without the added energy from refined carbohydrates. Globally, its use has amplified rapidly and a 2-4 times increase has been observed over the past two decades.